Social media can be a significant asset to your company, but it can also be a minefield to navigate due to its ever-changing nature. One wrong move or a bunch of social media mistakes can cost you the goodwill of your followers and potential clients.

So how can you stay ahead of the trends and bring sales and growth to your social media account? By going back to some of the basics and refusing to take shortcuts, of course. 

From what I have seen, here are the top three mistakes big companies make on social media (and how you can avoid them):

Social Media Mistakes #1: Buying Followers

You can buy followers? Yes, you can, but it will hurt more than help!

Numerous websites can offer you 1,000 followers for as little as $10, but those followers may not be linked to real people. In fact, most of them will either be inactive or bot accounts. 

Of all the social media mistakes you can make, this one significantly impacts your account’s growth. For instance, Instagram has a no-buying followers clause in its Terms of Service agreement, which means that you could lose your account if you’re caught at worst. At best, you could see a decrease in engagement and reach. 

If you don’t believe me, I suggest you read this article by Hootsuite. They tried out the whole buy your followers process and reported on their findings. 

When you buy followers, you are purchasing a number only. Engagement is not guaranteed. 

Additionally, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) fined a Florida-based company in 2019 for selling likes and followers to others, making buying and selling followers illegal. 

You might be wondering "how can I grow my account quickly if I can't buy followers?" Don't worry, I've got the secret sauce that's going to help you build an AUTHENTIC following. Here’s what you need to do:

• Create and follow a content strategy.
• Not having a plan will hurt you in the long run, so find something that works with your brand. However, don’t get locked into only one type of content form (i.e., photos) because social media algorithms like and reward accounts that use all of its features to post content. 
• Engage with your audience and other accounts.
• Social media is in face... SOCIAL, and connecting with others in your industry is an excellent habit to start. You can like, comment, save or share other users’ posts to gain new followers and build a community online. This drives engagement for your account, which most social media platforms reward by showing your content more frequently to other users.
• Post high-quality content that resonates with your target audience.
• You can post images, GIFs, Reels, videos, Boomerangs, quizzes on your story, how-tos, user-generated content, and more. The trick is to use high-quality photos with catchy captions and a unique style that differentiates you from other accounts. You’ll also want to post frequently and consistently to your account. 

Social Media Mistakes #2: Investing the Bare Minimum

Yes, surprisingly, big companies are doing this. 

They are not investing their time, money, or effort into building an online presence, and it shows. Social media users know when you are making an effort to connect with them, whether that’s through images, videos, replies to comments, or your direct messages (DMs). 

Of course, this will take time, money, and effort to get right, but the benefits far outweigh the input if you want to succeed. If you can't do this yourself, it is worth hiring someone or using tools to make the process easier. 

And it all comes down to what you put in is what you get out. If you aren't actively feeding into your online community, you aren't going to build one.

Social Media Mistakes #3: No Content Strategy

A lack of a content strategy will block sales. You must create content that attracts, nurtures, and converts your followers into buyers. Unfortunately, most businesses (even big players like Costco) fail to do this effectively. 

To start your content strategy journey, I suggest doing market research to find out who your ideal customer is, what they like, and where they hang out on the internet. Then curate photos, images, gifs, Reels, etc., targeting your ideal customer on their favorite platform. 

Once the content is out there, you’ll need to start tracking the statistics on those posts to see what is working and what needs improvement. Your account should see steady organic growth if you do this effectively. If something isn’t working, you can look at those posts to see how you can optimize them even better in the future. 

However, your strategy shouldn't consist of only posting consistently; it also needs to include engagement. That means you need to interact with other users on your posts and account and their accounts. 

In Summary

As long as you have a social media content strategy and are willing to engage with your audience, you should see sustainable growth. It might be slow initially, so don’t get discouraged or buy followers. Things will get better over time. If they don’t, play around with your optimization and messaging until it resonates with your audience. 

Struggling with social media? Book a free call.